1. The French eat REASONABLE portions and not those gargantuan portions that would make a normal stomach explode and that you find in just about every restaurant in the US.

2. The French eat REAL food and by that I mean: food the way it comes out of the ground, the way it comes out of the trees, the way it swims, flies and runs. Too many Americans swallow substances (I don’t want to call it food anymore) that are overly processed and devoid of real nutrients. In the US, it is called tv dinners. Many poorer Americans have found also that it is more affordable to go eat in fast food restaurants than buy fresh fruit and vegetables. The French still eat home cooked meals. Americans eat out very often.

3. The French use their legs a lot more than Americans. They walk A LOT. They go for walks everywhere and they ride their bicycle. Even in their old age, they go for walk. They walk to the marché to get their fresh fruit and vegetables, they walk chez le bouché to get their meat,they walk chez le boulanger to get their bread, then they walk à la poste to mail their letters, you get the idea. Americans drive everywhere.

4. The French TAKE TIME to enjoy their meals. They do not gulp down food. It seems to me that many Americans are swallowing food as if they wanted to imitate the farmers when they stuff their geese to fatten them. It is a pleasure to eat. When French eat, they actually take time to chew their food which mixes the digestive enzymes with the food, making it easier for the digestive system to process food.

5. The French accept that ALL foods are good in MODERATE quantities. The French enjoy SOME wine, SOME cheese, SOME chocolate, SOME brioches. Americans are going crazy over some of those foods. They say “fat (or sugar, or wine) is evil, it will cause this disease and that other disease so let us banish it forever. Then they deprive themselves of those little pleasures, they start obsessing about those foods. After a while they cannot think about anything else but those foods they have banish that they crave and that is when they go completely banana! Then they jump in those foods, eat huge quantities of those, become sick, feel guilty and the process start over again.

As I said, the French allow themselves to eat some cheese, some wine, some chocolate AND they enjoy it and savour it. They do not blame themselves for eating those foods because they eat them in moderate amounts. Like my mom used to say “everything is good in moderation”.

6. The French tend to eat pretty much the same way. They are very consistent. They don’t do what you call “the yoyo diet”. They enjoy food, they do not punish themselves and deprive their body of food.

7. The French make it a priority to have a healthy social life. They meet with their friends, their family, they take time to relax and enjoy life with others. They may not aspire to become multimillionaires like Americans, but they have a social life that is rich and nurturing. I believe that, because of that, they enjoy their meals better. It is so much more fun to eat with friends and family and laugh around the table or at a picnic!

My heart goes to Americans who are constantly struggling to lose weight because the “experts” all give extremely conflicting information. One says to eat proteins and some fats, another says that too much proteins is not good and fats cause cardio-vascular disease. One says eating animal proteins is bad and people should become vegetarians, another says that vegetarianism is unealthy because there is not enough protein.

I say, everything in moderation is good and most importantly, take time to enjoy eating real food.